El Arna

El Arna was a Kazakh television channel operated by the Khabar Agency. It originated in 2000 as Khabar 2, a second channel intended to expand the availability of Kazakh-language cultural, educational, and general-interest programming. The project emerged after an earlier proposal to combine existing state television infrastructure did not proceed. Khabar instead developed a separate channel, initially broadcasting for a limited evening schedule and emphasizing national culture, educational material, entertainment, and news without a political focus. The channel launched on 22 March 2000, coinciding with Nauryz, the spring festival. Its early programming included proverb-based, humorous, satirical, cultural, and educational formats, and it initially broadcast entirely in Kazakh. During its first year, the service expanded its daily airtime from approximately four hours to seven hours. The network also worked to extend its signal beyond the main urban centers, using terrestrial relays and participating in digital terrestrial television trials. Its terrestrial reach remained uneven, however, and technical constraints affected availability in some regions. On 22 March 2002, Khabar 2 was renamed El Arna, meaning “The People’s Channel.” The rebrand marked a significant editorial change. Rather than functioning mainly as an educational service, El Arna was repositioned as a broad entertainment channel for Kazakh audiences of different ages and backgrounds. The new schedule combined original productions, dubbed feature films, series, and planned telenovelas from Latin America, Russia, and Turkey. It also adopted a bilingual Kazakh-Russian programming model, while retaining a substantial Kazakh-language component in line with media requirements. Because El Arna had a more limited terrestrial footprint than the main Khabar channel, it was available to a smaller share of the country. In 2008, the channel was reformatted again after a presidential announcement that it would focus more strongly on culture, sports, and youth audiences. The revised service carried coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics and boxing, introduced sports news, and added internationally produced programming, including BBC miniseries. Its original productions were also adjusted to fit the new editorial direction. This phase positioned El Arna as a mixed cultural and entertainment outlet rather than a narrowly defined general channel. Khabar closed the terrestrial service on 18 March 2014. The change was associated with the launch and financing of the 24kz news channel and with the production of new Kazakh films. El Arna returned on 27 March 2017 as a movie-oriented channel, but this version was distributed through cable and satellite rather than through the former terrestrial network. In 2022, its format changed once more, this time emphasizing youth programming. The announced schedule included talk shows, game shows, technology and information-technology content, esports, TED Talks, films, and television series. On 11 March 2025, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Culture and Information announced that El Arna would cease operations on 1 May 2025. Relevant programs were to move to Khabar, while resources were redirected toward Khabar and 24kz. The closure was presented as a response to changes in the media environment and an effort to optimize state broadcasting resources. El Arna therefore ended as a distinct channel after several identities: Khabar 2, a Kazakh-language cultural service; El Arna, a bilingual entertainment channel; a culture, sports, and youth network; a cable movie channel; and finally a youth-oriented service.

El Arna began as Khabar 2, a second channel planned by Kazakhstan’s Khabar Agency. In the late 1990s, the agency considered combining existing state-channel resources to create an all-Kazakh service, but that plan failed. Khabar subsequently chose to establish a separate channel. The new service was announced in January 2000 and launched on 22 March, the Nauryz holiday. At launch, Khabar 2 had a short evening schedule and concentrated on cultural, educational, and general-interest material. It was designed to operate in Kazakh and to provide a national platform distinct from the main Khabar channel. Early programs included formats built around proverbs, humor, satire, and everyday national life. A news bulletin was planned, although the initial editorial concept excluded political programming. The channel also developed an online presence during its first year. Khabar 2 expanded its airtime in March 2001 after what was described as a successful first year. Signal-extension projects improved access in selected areas, while the channel participated in digital terrestrial television trials. Even so, its network was less extensive than Khabar’s, and some regions experienced technical or coverage limitations. The channel’s growth also prompted broader discussions about the future organization of Kazakhstan’s state television system, including a possible merger with Qazaqstan-1, though that proposal did not become the channel’s lasting identity. In 2002, Khabar 2 was renamed El Arna. The new name translates approximately as “The People’s Channel.” This was more than a cosmetic rebrand: the broadcaster moved away from its original educational profile and adopted a mass-entertainment strategy. The channel introduced new original programs, dubbed films, and plans for imported serial drama. It also became bilingual in Kazakh and Russian, while maintaining a substantial Kazakh-language share under the country’s media rules. El Arna’s terrestrial distribution remained concentrated around regional capitals and covered a smaller national audience than Khabar. A further reorientation came in 2008, when the channel was assigned a culture, sports, and youth remit. Its output included coverage of the Beijing Summer Olympics, boxing events, and sports news, alongside entertainment and cultural programming. It also broadcast BBC miniseries and adjusted its locally produced shows for the new schedule. This period demonstrated the channel’s recurring role as a flexible platform whose identity could be altered in response to public-policy and broadcasting priorities. The first major closure occurred on 18 March 2014. Khabar ended the channel’s terrestrial operation amid a restructuring of its broadcasting portfolio. Resources associated with El Arna were redirected to the newer 24kz news service and to Kazakh film production. The channel’s reported budget was approximately two billion tenge, while its operational return was reported at roughly three hundred million tenge. The closure was therefore linked to resource allocation and institutional priorities, although people working at the channel disputed the idea that low ratings alone explained the decision. El Arna was revived on 27 March 2017. Its new incarnation was primarily a film channel and differed structurally from the earlier service because it was distributed by cable and satellite rather than through the terrestrial network that had been assigned elsewhere. The relaunch was associated with demand for a dedicated outlet as foreign television series became more prominent on major Kazakh networks. On 27 March 2022, the channel changed direction again, announcing a youth-oriented schedule with seventeen new programs and content spanning TED Talks, game shows, talk shows, information technology, esports, films, and series. The final phase ended in 2025. On 11 March, Culture and Information Minister Aida Balayeva announced that El Arna would close from 1 May. Selected relevant programs were to be transferred to Khabar, and resources were to be reassigned to Khabar and 24kz. The stated reasons were changes in Kazakhstan’s media landscape and the optimization of state broadcasting resources. El Arna consequently became a defunct television brand with a history spanning several distinct formats and distribution models.

• 2025

  Final closure

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  The government announced that El Arna would close on 1 May and that selected programming would move to Khabar.

• 2022

  Youth-format relaunch

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  The channel adopted a youth-oriented schedule combining entertainment, technology, gaming, and audiovisual content.

• 2017

  Cable and satellite relaunch

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  El Arna resumed as a movie channel distributed through cable and satellite.

• 2014

  First shutdown

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  El Arna ceased broadcasting on 18 March as resources were redirected to 24kz and Kazakh film production.

• 2008

  Culture, sports, and youth reformat

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  The channel’s editorial remit was changed to emphasize cultural content, sports, and younger viewers.

• 2002

  Renamed El Arna

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  Khabar 2 adopted the El Arna name and moved toward bilingual entertainment programming.

• 2001

  First schedule expansion

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  The channel expanded its daily broadcasting time from approximately four hours to seven after its first year.

• 2000

  Launch as Khabar 2

  [1]El Arnaen.wikipedia.org

  The Khabar Agency launched Khabar 2 on 22 March as a new nationally oriented Kazakh television service.

A state-affiliated Kazakh television channel that evolved from a Kazakh-language cultural service into a bilingual entertainment broadcaster, then into culture, sports, movie, and youth-focused formats.

• Television channel · 2000

  Khabar 2

  The original form of the service, launched in 2000 as a short-schedule Kazakh-language channel. It focused on cultural, educational, humorous, and general-interest programming, with a limited news component and an ambition to expand national access.

• Television channel · 2002

  El Arna terrestrial channel

  The principal 2002–2014 incarnation of the brand. It was repositioned as a bilingual Kazakh-Russian entertainment channel for a broad audience, carrying original shows, dubbed films, series, and planned international serial content.

• Cable and satellite television · 2017

  El Arna movie channel

  The 2017 relaunch presented El Arna primarily as a movie channel. Unlike the earlier terrestrial service, it was distributed through cable and satellite and was intended to provide a dedicated screen for film content.

• Youth television programming · 2022

  El Arna youth channel

  From 2022, the service targeted younger viewers through a schedule incorporating talk shows, game shows, TED Talks, information-technology content, esports, films, and television series.

• 2025

  Final shutdown and merger of programmingStrategy

  Background

  Authorities cited changes in Kazakhstan’s media landscape and the optimization of state broadcasting resources.

  Action taken

  The Minister of Culture and Information announced that El Arna would close on 1 May, with relevant programs transferred to Khabar and resources redirected to Khabar and 24kz.

  Aftermath

  El Arna ceased to exist as a separate television channel.

  Source

• 2022

  Youth-oriented programming changeGeneration change

  Background

  The channel sought to serve younger audiences and broaden its relevance beyond movies.

  Action taken

  El Arna announced seventeen new programs spanning talk, game, technology, esports, and educational formats, while retaining films and series.

  Aftermath

  The channel operated as a youth-focused service until the final closure announced in 2025.

  Source

• 2017

  Movie-channel relaunchProduct launch

  Background

  The revival followed the growing presence of foreign television series on prominent Kazakh networks and created a new role for the dormant brand.

  Action taken

  El Arna resumed broadcasting on 27 March as a cable and satellite movie channel.

  Aftermath

  The brand returned without its former terrestrial network and with a narrower film-oriented identity.

  Source

• 2014

  Closure and resource reallocationStrategy

  Background

  Khabar reorganized its broadcasting portfolio following the launch of 24kz and increased attention to Kazakh film production.

  Action taken

  El Arna was closed on 18 March, and its resources were redirected to 24kz and film production.

  Aftermath

  The terrestrial El Arna service disappeared until the brand was revived in a different distribution and programming form in 2017.

  Reported channel budget and operational return. Budget of approximately 2 billion tenge; operational return of approximately 300 million tenge (Before the March 2014 closure)

  Source

• 2008

  Culture, sports, and youth repositioningStrategy

  Background

  The channel was directed toward a new public-service and audience strategy centered on culture, sport, and younger viewers.

  Action taken

  El Arna changed its schedule, added Olympic and boxing coverage and sports news, and introduced internationally produced miniseries.

  Aftermath

  The service operated as a mixed cultural, sports, and entertainment channel until its 2014 closure.

  Source

• 2002

  Rebrand from Khabar 2 to El ArnaGeneration change

  Background

  The original channel had been established as a Kazakh-language cultural and educational service, but Khabar sought a broader entertainment identity.

  Action taken

  Khabar 2 was renamed El Arna, adopted bilingual programming, and expanded its use of original entertainment, dubbed films, series, and planned telenovelas.

  Aftermath

  The channel became a broader entertainment outlet, although its terrestrial reach remained below that of the main Khabar service.

  Source

1. 1El Arnaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official El Arna websiteelarna.kz